Tougher Law To Save Beaches

Volusia County Council Chairman Clay Henderson wants controls on where to place sea walls, sloping rock piles and boulders that help erode beaches. Good.

For too long these walls and rock piles have been used as a last-ditch effort to protect development that is too close to beaches. It's a vain attempt.

Look at Bethune Beach. Its boulders and jetties have helped erode nearby beaches, like Canaveral Seashore to the south.

Sure, they're a short-term fix for the homes, hotels and businesses that use them. But in the long run the walls and rocks cause more erosion. When strong currents hit the walls, they can cause an undertow that pulls the sand away from the shoreline. Without dunes, there's nothing to replace the lost sand.

The state has rules to discourage the use of sea walls and encourage building natural buffers, such as dunes, along beaches. These natural buffers are the best type of long-term protection. The problem is there are loopholes in state law that allow building sea walls and revetments anyway.

For instance, the state may allow you to build a sea wall if your property is losing sand because of sea walls nearby. But filling in that gap to protect the property only worsens the erosion problem overall.

That's why Mr. Henderson wants the county to have a tougher law than the state's. The council has agreed to look at the idea this week.

Already 22 miles of the 38 miles of beaches maintained by the county have sea walls or revetments. Mr. Henderson's plan would ensure that only sand dunes and other natural buffers are built in the remaining 16 miles.

The county ought not stop there. It can ensure that sea walls and rock piles aren't allowed to fill gaps between already standing walls in the 22-mile stretch.

The state isn't off the hook. It needs to toughen its beach law so that natural buffers are required - not just encouraged. That's something a statewide task force can look into - while there is still time.